Wednesday reading
Currently, I'm reading a book for anonymous review; If Chins Could Kill, a memoir by Bruce Campbell, which has a great raconteur-style prose; and About Time Volume 4 (the Tom Baker era of Doctor Who).
About Time Volume 4 is much less dense that Volume 3, so I'm already to the point where Leela is going to be introduced. It's reminding me how much I liked some of those episodes with all their references to classic horror tropes, despite me not liking horror all that much; perhaps it's because with The Doctor around, I could feel safe! I need to re-watch "The Brain of Morbius."
I finished The Lotus Palace by Jeannie Lin. I really enjoyed the Chinese Tang Dynasty setting, as well as the uber-practical heroine; plus, the hero had angst, but it didn't warp his character in unbelievable or annoying ways. I'm still pondering what I thought of the mystery plot; it was reasonably interesting, but mostly served to offer reasons for the hero and heroine to interact, when the heroine in particular didn't think it was appropriate. Recommended if you're tired of Regency-set romances.
I also finished A Question of Honor by Charles Todd, the newest in the Bess Crawford series. It's set in 1918 and there are constant rumors of an end to the war, but it never quite gets to the Armistice. I wondered if they (Chalres Todd is 2 people) were contracted for one more book, so had to make the war stretch! Like the others I've read in that series, it contrasts the current (WWI) setting with investigation of crime that happened in the past, in this case murders from 1908.
And I finished Rachel Manija Brown's collection, A Cup of Smoke - I particularly enjoyed her Oracles poem.
In fanfiction, I read The Bloody Stare of Mars by Yahtzee, which I had somehow missed, previously. It's a Harry Potter AU in which Voldemort wins, so Hermione is stuck in a dystopia. It's by Yahtzee, so of course it is good.
I haven't read this yet, but Sahiya did a series of short stories crossing over Cordelia Vorkosigan with the Doctor. I didn't read as much fanfiction as usual last week, since I was playing Subway Surfers instead. Last night, I managed to beat not only my own high score but the high score the 5-year-old Director had left on my Nook. My high scores are rare, but even my less good scores are no longer shameful, so I am not quite as motivated to practice at all moments. I suspect the Tots will now pick another game, at which I will also suck.
Not sure what I'm reading next; I have a friend's romance manuscript, so that's near the top of the list. I need to write up Patricia Gaffney's Forever and Ever for later this month.
About Time Volume 4 is much less dense that Volume 3, so I'm already to the point where Leela is going to be introduced. It's reminding me how much I liked some of those episodes with all their references to classic horror tropes, despite me not liking horror all that much; perhaps it's because with The Doctor around, I could feel safe! I need to re-watch "The Brain of Morbius."
I finished The Lotus Palace by Jeannie Lin. I really enjoyed the Chinese Tang Dynasty setting, as well as the uber-practical heroine; plus, the hero had angst, but it didn't warp his character in unbelievable or annoying ways. I'm still pondering what I thought of the mystery plot; it was reasonably interesting, but mostly served to offer reasons for the hero and heroine to interact, when the heroine in particular didn't think it was appropriate. Recommended if you're tired of Regency-set romances.
I also finished A Question of Honor by Charles Todd, the newest in the Bess Crawford series. It's set in 1918 and there are constant rumors of an end to the war, but it never quite gets to the Armistice. I wondered if they (Chalres Todd is 2 people) were contracted for one more book, so had to make the war stretch! Like the others I've read in that series, it contrasts the current (WWI) setting with investigation of crime that happened in the past, in this case murders from 1908.
And I finished Rachel Manija Brown's collection, A Cup of Smoke - I particularly enjoyed her Oracles poem.
In fanfiction, I read The Bloody Stare of Mars by Yahtzee, which I had somehow missed, previously. It's a Harry Potter AU in which Voldemort wins, so Hermione is stuck in a dystopia. It's by Yahtzee, so of course it is good.
I haven't read this yet, but Sahiya did a series of short stories crossing over Cordelia Vorkosigan with the Doctor. I didn't read as much fanfiction as usual last week, since I was playing Subway Surfers instead. Last night, I managed to beat not only my own high score but the high score the 5-year-old Director had left on my Nook. My high scores are rare, but even my less good scores are no longer shameful, so I am not quite as motivated to practice at all moments. I suspect the Tots will now pick another game, at which I will also suck.
Not sure what I'm reading next; I have a friend's romance manuscript, so that's near the top of the list. I need to write up Patricia Gaffney's Forever and Ever for later this month.